The seventh Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Conference, which was scheduled take place at the Gulf International Hotel and Conference Centre in Bahrain on May 4 and 5, has been postponed until 2003.
The decision to postpone the conference has been taken jointly by the tourism affairs department of Bahrain's Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Information, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) and the conference organisers, following an Arab League announcement to convene a conference of its members' tourism ministers on the same dates in the UAE. The ATM Conference, traditionally held ahead of the ATM in Dubai, is a major opportunity in the tourism calendar for tourism representatives of both the government and the private sectors to come together to discuss topics of mutual interest. It was felt that the absence of major government representation, particularly from the GCC would have had a negative impact on the conference, its aims and its objectives. Matt Thompson, RTE's group exhibitions director, overseas events, said the decision to postpone the event was taken after having considered a number of options, including the alteration of the dates to after the ATM. The conference will be held on May 3-4, 2003.